It’s the thought that counts.

Walking out of work in solidarity with Mexican immigrants Monday won’t mean any penalties forÂ state assemblymen, who will still be able to collect their $143 a day reimbursements just for being in Albany, along with their regular paycheck.

An Assembly spokesperson explained that members needed to be in town one way or another last night since there were committee meetings today starting at 9:30 a.m. There was also work to do Monday, including a Democratic conference.

Plus there was that five minutes or so of session before the roughly 25 Hispanic members, and some non-Hispanic supporters, left the room by arrangement with Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Still, not everyone is taking advantage of the perk. Assemblyman Peter Rivera, a Bronx Democrat who heads the Assembly’s Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, said he and several other colleagues decided to forgo the per diems. Rivera said he was going to put in for it and donate it to a charity that helps immigrants, but decided that picking one and explaining his choice might be more trouble than it was worth.
“To avoid the confusion…the easiest thing is not to take it in the first place,” he said.